Adjustable chair-back.



A. J. POLER.

ADJUSTABLE CHAIR BACK.

APPLICATION FILED iam/10,1915.

Patented May 9,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

A. l. POLER.

ADJUSTABLE CHAIR BACK.

APPLICATION HLED MAY lo, |915.

THE COLUMNA PLANOGRAPH co., WAsHlNG'roN. D. c.

Patented May 9,1916.

v 2 sums-SHEET 2.

` FFQF.

.ALTON J'. IPOLER, OF MEDINA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ALBERT J'. COE,

l 0F MEDINA, NEW YORK.

ADJUSTABLE CHAIR-BACK.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, i916..

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, AL'roN J. PoLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Medina, in the county of Orleans and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Chair- Backs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in adjustable chai back.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an exceedingly strong tilting adjustment for a chair back, the same being easy and cheap to manufacture and capable of being readily shifted for positioning the back at the desired inclination.

A. further object of the invention is to provide inter-engaging locking hinges for a chair back whereby the same may be readily tilted without the employment of any adjusting rods, screws or bolts and which will securely retain the chair back at the desired angle of adjustment.

A still further object is to provide a locking hinge adapted for heavy chairs and having adjustable take-up means for steadying the operating parts while also having a protecting pivoted washer means.

It is understood that the means for accomplishing these results resides inthe form of hinge connections between the chair back to be adjusted and the rear supporting legs of the chair frame and that a change in adjustment is readily eii'ected by slightly elevating the chair back and tilting the same as desired and allowing the back to return .l by its own weight to its locked adjusted position.

With these general objects in View and others that will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel combination and arrangement ,of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming a i` part of this application and in which like designating characters refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views Figure 1 is an elevational view of the inner side of portions of a chair back connected to the leftside rear leg of the chair by the present adjustable hinge device, the reclining position of the back member being illustrated in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof partially in section upon line II-liI of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the leg carried bracket of the hinge detached. Fig. t is a similar view of the cooperating hinge portion or bracket detached from the carrying back rail. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the bracket shown in Fig. 4, partially illustrated in central longitudinal section. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the washer and link detached. Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified form of construction. Figs. 8 and 9 are perspective views of the back rail-carried hinge portion and the washer respectively, both being detached. Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 7 but designed for heavier chairs, and, Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the chair back rail-carried hinge portion detached.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the invention residing in a hinge connection between a chair frame and the chair back, a rear portion of the chair frame 10 is illustrated being provided with the usual rear supporting legs, the upper portion of one of such legs 11 being illustrated, and to which one of the side rails 12 of the chair back is adjustably connected by means of the present device, only the lower hinge-carrying portion of such rail being illustrated and the rear left leg and rail vbeing shown as an example of the structure, it being understood that the opposite right hand rear leg and rail have correspondingly-arranged coperating connections.

A bracket 13 of the form best illustrated in Fig. 3 is secured to the upper inner face of the rear leg 11 by means of such devices as screws 14. A segment rack 15 is flatly secured to the inner face of the bracket 13 and may be formed integral therewith if desired, and has a segmental toothed rack 16 positioned with the upper margin thereof slightly spaced below the upper edge of the said bracket, a projecting stop 17 being proting over the outer lower end of the side rail 12 of the chair back, the same being secured thereto by means of bolts 21. An oval slot 22 is provided through the diskshaped lower extension 23 of the rail bracket 19 and is pivotally received upon the leg axle 18 while a concave gear section 24E is carried by the outer side of the bracket 19 and adapted for seating engagement with the teeth 16 of the segment rack when the hinge brackets are in their adjusted positions. A controlling washer 25 of camshape has a circular perforation 26 therethrough by means of which the washer is journaled upon the said axle 18 and is retained thereon by means of a Cotter pin 27, thus holding the hinge brackets in their operative relations. A link 28 is pivotally connected to the upper portion of the washer by means of a pin 29 and to the rail bracket 19 by means of a similar pin 30. By this arrangement of hinge, it will be `seen that with the chair back connected tothe frame by means of oppositely-arranged similar hinges, the back .may be positioned substantially vertical and perpendicularly tothe chair bottom and with the segment rack teeth 16 in mesh with the concave rack 24,

` the latter being positioned in contact with the segment stop 17 as illustrated in F ig. 1. Vhen it is desired to. alter the inclination of the chair back, the same is manually elevated, thus disconnecting the rack concave teeth 24- from the segment teeth 16 whereupon the back may be inclined to the desired angle and then allowed to re-seat with the said teeth in mesh with each other, which will retain the chair back at such angle. The back may be swung to a hori- Zontal position as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and at this last-named position7 the outer end of the perforation 22 will seat upon the axle 18. During the adjusted positions of the back, the entire weight of the back is supported by the toothedl engagement between the hinge bracketsexcepting when the back is in the reclining position,and at which latter time, the axles 18 assist to support the same in the manner above noted.

1n Fig. 7, the construction is substantially identical with that described in connection with the form of the device shown in Fig. 1, and has hinge members 13and 19 for attachment to the rear leg 11 and back rail 12 respectively. The axle 18 however, is provided with a governing washer 25 pivoted directly to the bracket 19 by means of a pin 31, the said washer 25 being journaled upon the axle 18 and retained thereon by means of a cotter pin 27. The journaling opening of the rail bracket 19 differs from the aforesaid opening 22, this form being substantially a rectangular slot and is of the form shown at 22, the opening 22 being substantially right-angular in form. The operation of this form of the device is identical to that heretofore set forth, `the washer in the present case however, more firmly governing the relative movement of the rail bracket and the journaling axle as the said washer 25 is positively journaled upon the axle 18 but allows the axle to move from one end to the other of the slot 22 for the adjusting of the chair back.

In the further modified form shown Ain Fig. 10, it is noted that the only change over the elements of Fig. 7 consists in the .upturned bracket 32 carried by the lower end of the rail bracket 19 and provided with a perforation 33 for receiving a set screw 34 which may be adjusted to lightly bear against the face of the washer 25', and thus take up the wear between the partsand render the hinge more stable in use with heavy chair structures.

A serviceable construction of chair back hinge is thus arranged and whereby the back may be readily tilted and retainedV at the desired inclination with respect to the chair 1. A device of the class described, comi prising a support, a hinge bracket secured thereto, a chair back leg, a projecting bracket at the lower end of the legga loose pivotal connection between the said two brackets, inter-engaging toothed members carried respectively by the separate brackets, an elongated journal disposed centrally of ythe toothed member on the support and a washer mounted on the journal, and pivotal link connections between the said washer and the adjacent bracket. I

2. A device of the class described, comprising in combination with a chair frame and back, oppositely-arranged hinges comprising a supporting bracket, a segment rack upon the inner face of said bracket and having its toothed portion extending below the top of the bracket, la stop projection at the inner end of the said toothed portion, an

axle concentric with the said toothed pori;

bracket projecting from the lower end of ing engagement With the teeth of the said the adjacent back rail and having an elonsegment rack, a Washer having a circular 10 gated perforation through Which the said opening and journaled upon the said axle, axle extends, said bracket and aXle providand pivotal connections between the said 5 ing an elongated journal, the journal being Washer and adjacent bracket.

disposed centrally of the toothed member on In testimony whereof I alX my signature. the rack, a concave toothed segmental portion carried by the said rail bracket in mesh- ALTON J. POLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

